bastille-852-731547

I wasn't previously very interested in seeing "Wicked," but after hearing good word of mouth from friends, decided to see it. This film adapts the first act of the musical, which has been on Broadway now for over twenty years. It tells the story of the origins of Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba the Wicked Witch--how they met each other and their friendship, how Elphaba was subject to bullying and marginalization, and the effects they had on Oz. And, since this is a musical, there is of course plenty of big musical numbers. The musical numbers can be entertaining and the film provides plenty of visual spectacle, but unfortunately, the movie doesn't totally justify why it needed to split its source material into two parts. The film drags enough in the middle to feel long, and despite a strong first 40 minutes and last 40 minutes, a lot of what's in between feels like it could have been better edited. The difference between this film and something like Denis Villeneuve's "Dune" films (the first two "Dune" films cover the first and second half of the first "Dune" book) is that "Dune" is rich in complex character development and dense plotting to make two long movies uniquely engaging and narratively justify themselves from both a plot and characterization perspective, whereas the same isn't exactly the case with "Wicked."

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo do pretty well with the material, and they both can definitely sing, but the characters aren't always that compelling by the standards of "2.75 hour movie that covers only the first half of the musical." The supporting cast (such as Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, and Michelle Yeoh) give solid performances as well. For me, the musical numbers were hit or miss, with the opening "No One Mourns the Wicked" and the showstopping "Defying Gravity" were excellent, but some of the other numbers not as much so. Overall, I thought this film had plenty of entertaining moments, but it's too bad that it wasn't either tighter and/or focused on the entire musical rather than being unnecessarily split into two. 6/10.

Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin are both good actors, and with this also being a directorial and writing effort by Eisenberg, I was hoping this indie dramedy about two cousins who go to Poland for a Jewish heritage group tour to honor their deceased grandmother would be a worthwhile film. While it can be fleeting and not always as profound (either thematically or narratively) as it wants to be at times, the film still effectively blends comedic and dramatic moments to make for a mostly worthwhile viewing experience.

The film isn't particularly dense in plot or character development (sometimes to its detriment,) but the film does a good job effectively portraying the contrasts between David (Eisenebrg) and Benji (Culkin.) Stories about polar-opposite family members are a dime a dozen in film, but Eisenberg's screenplay and direction generally avoids clichés that could otherwise arise. The supporting characters are interesting on a surface level but thinly developed. The screenplay does generally do a good job at blending humorous moments with very serious and even tragic moments, but the writing isn't always especially deep. Yet its understatedness is part of the film's charm and emotional impact, to some extent. This screenplay and direction is complemented by excellent cinematography of Poland and solid production values. For those reasons as well as a generally moving screenplay and story, this low-key indie dramedy is overall worth seeing. 7/10.

Sean Baker's films have effectively and compassionately told "slice-of-life" stories for characters that often live on the margins of society. His films are well made and often profound in down-to-earth ways, and the same is also true with his latest film "Anora." The film is about a young stripper in Brooklyn who falls in love with and marries a young Russian man, only for his family to be appalled about that and try to get their marriage annulled.

Mikey Madison is excellent in the lead role, portraying humor, edge, and pathos. The rest of the cast isn't quite as dynamic or convincing, but they still do a good job, especially the supporting actors who play the male lead's acolytes. Baker does a great job handling the film's tone, as it is often slapdash and funny in a screwball-style way, but dramatic tension also ensues in a nuanced, thoughtful, and ultimately impactful way. The film's main flaw is that the second act could have been tighter, particularly in that its plot points and narrative developments don't quite match up to that section of the film's length. But other than that, this is a very well-made dramedy that I gladly recommend to mature and sophisticated film lovers. 8.5/10.